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Cracking spines in pursuit of pleasure

Invariably, a word geek like me always turns the discussion back to books. I’ve read quite a number of lovely ones lately, and these gems have reminded me of other great reads I’d like to share.

I just read a book called Dreaming of Gwen Stefani by Evan Mandery. This was one of those novels I hadn’t heard of on my own. I picked it up at the library just because it looked interesting. I was not disappointed. If you’re not familiar with Gwen Stefani, she’s the very attractive lead singer of a band called No Doubt. This book is about one man’s obsession with meeting her. Although he works at a hot dog stand, the instant he first sees one of her videos, he knows that he and Gwen are soul mates. I loved this book. It was well-written, and truly unusual. I also love the odd diversions the book takes into science. This is a somewhat odd thing for me to like, because I’m not much interested in science, but this work contained the kind of science that fascinates even a liberal arts major like me.

This book reminded me of another work I loved that you may not yet have discovered. Comedian Steve Martin is also a playwright and novelist, and I love his writing. He wrote the book Shopgirl, on which the movie was based. That’s a great book, but even better is The Pleasure of My Company which features another strange and wonderful narrator like the narrator in the Gwen Stefani book.

Friends turn me onto other books, and I’ve recently finished reading Wicked and Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. I didn’t think I’d like these books. I love the movie The Wizard of Oz, but had never been a fan of the original books, so stories set in Oz could not attract me simply by their subject matter. That said, I loved these books. They explore the hidden back story of many of the major characters in The Wizard of Oz. I’m hooked, and I’m on the waiting list for the new one. I hope this author keeps writing. If he does, I’ll keep reading. I’m always looking for new books to cuddle up with. Perhaps you’ll discover some of these fun reads for yourself.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

215. If these books intrigue you, seek them out and read them. What books do you love? Tell people about them (or post a comment to this blog) so that others can read your finds, too.